New research performed by BSGE students suggests that walking up to a stranger and asking them for free food is, in fact, an effective strategy for receiving said food.
The students in question wanted to test their hypothesis: if they were to go up to a stranger eating fries, or a similar food, and ask for a piece, would the element of surprise, when combined with baseline human generosity, lead them to say yes?
The students carried out the experiment using a variety of restaurants in the Ditmars area. They collected data from patrons of McDonald’s and Chipotle, as well as from employees of various places: King of Falafel and Shawarma, Cookie Crumz, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts, Chip City, Tap, Retro Pizza, Champion, and Rose and Joe’s.
Surprisingly, all of the customers who were asked for a fry at both Chipotle and McDonald’s were willing to give a fry—or in the case of Chipotle customers, a tortilla chip. The age or gender of those who were asked made no difference, and whether or not the person asked was part of a group had no impact either.
It is important to note, however, that the most amount of food was given by a group of two older women at McDonald’s, who were willing to part with their entire fry order and even offered to buy the student something. It is unclear whether the ladies’ increased generosity was a function of their gender, age, companionship, or simply a result of their natural dispositions.
On the other hand, restaurant employees were much less likely than customers to give free food to those who asked (36.4% compared to 100%), but they often still did what they could. For instance, at Van Leeuwen, the employee at the counter stated that though students could not receive free scoops, they were welcome to have a free sample.
The most generous establishment was Retro Pizza; the student who walked into the pizzeria and asked for one garlic knot received an order of four for free. The least generous businesses were ice cream shops like Van Leeuwen and Bianco Nero Gelato, as well as cookie stores like Cookie Crumz and Chip City. Both ice cream shops were willing to give samples, but not scoops, and both cookie places refused to give away any food.
Additionally, as shown in the charts below, the most likely restaurants to give a BSGE student free food are those that sell falafel, garlic knots, and/or munchkins. Of course, not every place that sells these items will give food for free, but it is more likely that they will give free food than places that sell other, more expensive goods.
In short, if you’re a BSGE student looking to score some free food, it’s best to remember to ask customers, not employees, and if you are going to ask a restaurant, avoid cookie or ice cream places: although some may absolutely give students free food, many will not.
